Drops Friday, October 25 @ 10AM PST
About This Collection:
Behind every great DJ is a killer photographer to capture the confetti blasts and screaming fans. You'll most likely see Rukes behind the lens at every festival and show, so that is why we collaborated with him to create a dope photo tee of Illenium. The image is one of Ruke's favorite shots of Illenium that he took during Lost Lands. On the bottom back of the shirt, you will find the exact shutter settings he took the photo with.
Along with this tee, we are dropping a new Illenium bracelet in our New School Bracelet style. You can cop this collection this Friday, October 25 @ 10am pst.
Collection Details:
- Piece drops Friday, October 11 @ 10AM PST
- 1 LTD Long Sleeve Tee
- 1 Illenium New School Bracelet
We got a chance to sit down with Rukes to get some insight into his life and career. Read on:
1. Where did the name "Rukes" come from?
It came from a typo in an AOL chatroom years ago, where someone typed “this game rukes” instead of “this game rules”. A little later on, I decided to adopt that at the beginning of a new screen name, and from then people just started to call me Rukes.
2. What or who inspired you to get into photography? More specifically into shooting DJ's?
Nobody inspired me to get into photography, I just happened to try it. I started shooting DJs because I recently discovered the music and really liked the genre.
3. If you weren't doing photography, what would you be doing?
Possibly continuing to work in the video game industry, or doing something related to travel (travel agent, travel blog, etc)
4. I see that you've shot Ultra in many different cities. Is the crowd distinctly different everywhere you go?
Yes! All of them are usually really crazy, but Korea usually has the most active crowd, Japan with the biggest fans, etc. It always makes for a unique situation around the world.
5. What is your favorite stage element to capture in a photograph? (pyro, confetti, cryo, fireworks, etc.)
Fireworks by far. A good one at the front of the stage, and a photo from behind the DJ, is one photo I always have to take. Huge bonus if there is a good fireworks finale.
Pyro is great if the flames are high and thick. Cryo I find pretty boring and generic. Confetti is amazing if all the factors merge; perfect wind, distribution, etc. it’s rare to have an amazing Confetti display; usually the best are ones that spread out over a large area and drift close to the DJ. Makes for a mess on the stage, but it creates a good photo opportunity.
6. You've shot artists outside of the EDM world, do you see yourself venturing even more out of the EDM space in the future?
Yes, I always hope to. I do so much in the EDM world that it’s a bit difficult to branch out.
7. Why did you decide to collaborate with Electric Family?
Electric Family works very close with a lot of DJs, and they also donate a lot of money to charity. As someone who has dealt with multiple facets of mental illness around my life, anything to help people in need is very important in this world.